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Nitzavim, Nitsavim, Nitzabim, Netzavim, Nisavim, or Nesabim ( —
Nitzavim, Nitsavim, Nitzabim, Netzavim, Nisavim, or Nesabim ( — Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
for "ones standing," the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 51st weekly Torah portion
It is a custom among religious Jewish communities for a weekly Torah portion to be read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' ( he, פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ), is p ...
(, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
cycle of Torah reading
Torah reading (; ') is a Jewish religious tradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) from the Torah ark, chanting the a ...
and the eighth in the Book of Deuteronomy. It comprises (Deuteronomy 29:10 onwards in some versions of the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Moses told the
A Midrash cited as one of several places where Scripture speaks of the people of Israel as it does of 
Similarly, a Midrash reported that two teachers offered different explanations of , "He (God) has bent His bow, and set me (, ''vayatziveni'') as a mark for the arrow." One taught that the verse compared Israel to a 
The Gemara deduced from the separate mention of "all the men of Israel," "your stranger," and "the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water" in that Moses meant to decree that the hewers of wood and the drawers of water (whom the Gemara deduced from were Gibeonites) were to be considered neither Israelites nor converts in that generation. The Gemara further deduced that in , Joshua extended that decree of separation for the period during which the Sanctuary existed, and in , David extended the decree for all generations.
The school of
in, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Elucidated by Michoel Weiner and Mordechai Kuber; edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, volume 51, page 39a2.
In response to a question from Rav Aha son of Rava,
'' Moses told the
Israelite
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
s that all the people stood before God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
to enter into the covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
, violation of which would bring on curse
A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particula ...
s, but if they returned to God and heeded God's commandments, then God would take them back in love and bring them together again from the ends of the world. Moses taught that this Instruction was not beyond reach, and Moses put before the Israelites life and death, blessing
In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.
Etymology and Germanic paganism
The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...
and curse, and exhorted them to choose life by loving God and heeding the commandments.
The parashah is made up of 2,123 Hebrew letters, 553 Hebrew words, 40 verses, and 72 lines in a Torah Scroll. Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
s generally read it in September or, rarely, late August or early October, on the Sabbath immediately before Rosh Hashanah. The lunisolar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the E ...
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel. ...
contains 50 weeks in common years, and 54 or 55 weeks in leap years. In some years (for example, 2021, 2022, and 2025), Parashat Nitzavim is read separately. In other years (for example, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2026, and 2027), Parashat Nitzavim is combined with the next parashah, Vayelech, to help achieve the number of weekly readings needed. The two Torah portions are combined except when two Sabbaths fall between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot and neither Sabbath coincides with a Holy Day. In the standard Reform
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
prayerbook for the High Holy Days (, ''machzor
The ''machzor'' ( he, מחזור, plural ''machzorim'', and , respectively) is the prayer book which is used by Jews on the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many Jews also make use of specialized ''machzorim'' on the three pilgr ...
''), parts of the parashah, and , are the Torah readings for the morning Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...
service, in lieu of the traditional reading of .
Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or , '' aliyot''. In theMasoretic Text
The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...
of the Tanakh
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' peh Peh pronounced "Pe-h" is a village in Ukhrul District, Manipur, India. The village was earlier called 'Paoyi', which is a misconstrued derivative of the original name 'Pehyi' given by outsiders. Peh is approximately 35 kilometers north of ...
'') and thus can be considered a single unit. Parashat Nitzavim has several further subdivisions, called "closed portion" (, ''setumah'') divisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter , '' samekh''). The first closed portion (, ''setumah'') spans the first three readings. The second closed portion spans the fourth and fifth readings. The third closed portion is coincident with the sixth reading.
'' peh Peh pronounced "Pe-h" is a village in Ukhrul District, Manipur, India. The village was earlier called 'Paoyi', which is a misconstrued derivative of the original name 'Pehyi' given by outsiders. Peh is approximately 35 kilometers north of ...
First reading — Deuteronomy 29:9–11
In the first reading (, ''aliyah''), Moses told the Israelites that all the people stood that day before God to enter into the covenant. The first reading (, ''aliyah'') ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, ''Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Devarim / Deuteronomy'', page 186.Second reading — Deuteronomy 29:12–14
In the second reading (, ''aliyah''), Moses made the covenant both with those who were standing there that day and with those who were not there that day. The second reading (, ''aliyah'') ends here.Third reading — Deuteronomy 29:15–28
In the third reading (, ''aliyah''), Moses reminded the Israelites that they had dwelt in the land ofEgypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
and had passed through various other nations and had seen the detestable idols of wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
, stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
, silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
, and gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
that those other nations kept. Moses speculated that perchance there were among the Israelites some whose hearts were even then turning away from God to go worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recogniti ...
the gods of those nations, who might think themselves immune, thinking that they would be safe though they followed their own willful hearts. But God would never forgive them; rather God's anger
Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat.
A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...
would rage against them until every curse recorded in the Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
would come down upon them and God had blotted out their names. And later generation
A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and gr ...
s and other nations would ask why God had done that to those people, and they would be told that it was because they forsook the covenant that God made with them and turned to other gods. So God grew incensed at that land and brought upon it all the curses recorded in the Torah, uprooted them from their soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt
Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty.
Common types of dirt include:
* Debri ...
in anger, and cast them into another land, as would still be the case. Concealed acts concerned God; but with overt acts, it was for the Israelites to apply all the provisions of the Torah. The third reading (, ''aliyah'') and a closed portion (, ''setumah'') end here with the end of chapter .
Fourth reading — Deuteronomy 30:1–6
In the fourth reading (, ''aliyah''), Moses foretold that, after all these curses had befallen them, if they took them to heart in their exile, and they returned to God, and they heeded God's commandments with all their hearts andsoul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
s, then God would restore their fortunes, take them back in love, and bring them together again from the ends of the world to the land
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
that their father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
s possessed, and God would make them more prosperous and numerous. Then God would open their hearts to love God with all their hearts and souls, in order that they might live. The fourth reading (, ''aliyah'') ends here.
Fifth reading — Deuteronomy 30:7–10
In the fifth reading (, ''aliyah''), Moses foretold that God would then inflict all those curses on the enemies who persecuted the Israelites, and would bless the Israelites with abounding prosperity, fertility, and productivity. For God would again delight in their wellbeing, as God had in that of their fathers, since they would be heeding God and keeping the commandments once they had returned to God with all their hearts and souls. The fifth reading (, ''aliyah'') and a closed portion (, ''setumah'') end here.Sixth reading — Deuteronomy 30:11–14
In the sixth reading (, ''aliyah''), Moses said that surely, this Instruction that he enjoined upon them was not too baffling, beyond reach, in the heavens, or beyond the sea; rather it was very close to them, in their mouths and hearts. The sixth reading (, ''aliyah'') and a closed portion (, ''setumah'') end here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, ''Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Devarim / Deuteronomy'', page 193.Seventh reading — Deuteronomy 30:15–20
In the seventh reading (, ''aliyah''), which is also the concluding maftir () reading, Moses said that he set before them the choice betweenlife
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
and prosperity on the one hand and death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
and adversity on the other. Moses commanded them to love God, to walk in God's ways, and to keep God's commandments, that they might thrive and increase, and that God might bless them in the land. But if their hearts turned away and they gave no heed, and were lured into the worship of other gods, Moses warned that they would certainly perish and not long endure in the land. Moses called heaven and earth to witness that he had put before the Israelites a choice between life and death, blessing and curse. He exhorted them to choose life by loving God, heeding the commandments, and holding fast to God, so that they might have life and long endure on the land that God swore to their ancestors, Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...
, Isaac
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...
, and Jacob
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...
. The seventh reading (, ''aliyah''), an open portion (, ''petuchah''), and the parashah end here.
Readings for Parashiot Nitzavim-Vayelech
When Jews read Parashat Nitzavim together with Parashat Vayelech, they divide readings according to the following schedule:Readings according to the triennial cycle
In years when Jews read the parashah separately, Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the entire parashah according to the schedule of first through seventh readings in the text above. When Jews read Parashat Nitzavim together with Parashat Vayelech, Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle can read the parashah according to the following schedule.Key words
Words used frequently in the parashah include: God, gods (27 times); day, days (16 times); land (14 times); and heart (10 times).In inner-biblical interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:Deuteronomy chapter 29
In , Moses cast the net broadly to include in the covenant all in the Israelite camp, including "your stranger" and those in the servant classes of "the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water." In , theGibeonites
Gibeon ( he, , ''Gīḇəʻōn''; grc-gre, Γαβαων, ''Gabaōn'') was a Canaanite and, later, an Israelite city which was located north of Jerusalem. According to and , the pre-Israelite-conquest inhabitants, the Gibeonites, were Hivite ...
tricked Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
into believing that they were not among the local inhabitants whom God had instructed the Israelites to eliminate. In recompense, in , the Israelite chieftains decreed that they should become "hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation," and in , "Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord." Even so, 2 Samuel reports that later in the time of David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, "the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites."
Deuteronomy chapter 30
The exile into captivity which is anticipated in is reported in and mentioned in , and . The return to thePromised Land
The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
which is anticipated in is predicted, for example, in .
The command of to "walk in His od'sways" reflects a recurring theme also present in ; ; ; ; ; ; and .
Moses calls heaven and earth to serve as witnesses against Israel in , , , and . Similarly, Psalm
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
reports that God "summoned the heavens above, and the earth, for the trial of His people," saying "Bring in My devotees, who made a covenant with Me over sacrifice!" continues: "Then the heavens proclaimed His righteousness, for He is a God who judges."
In early nonrabbinic interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:Deuteronomy chapter 29
One of theDead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...
, the Community Rule
The Community Rule ( he, סרך היחד, ''Serekh haYahad''), which is designated 1QS and was previously referred to as the Manual of Discipline, is one of the first scrolls to be discovered near ''khirbet'' (ruin of) Qumran, the scrolls found in ...
(1QS), tells how the Qumran
Qumran ( he, קומראן; ar, خربة قمران ') is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry marl plateau about from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli ...
sectarians reenacted the covenant renewal ceremony commanded by on an annual basis, many scholars believe on Shavuot. Another Dead Sea Scroll, The Rule of the Congregation (1QSa), described how the Qumran sectarians planned to reenact that covenant renewal ceremony in the End of Days.
In classical rabbinic interpretation
The parashah is discussed in theserabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
nic sources from the era of the Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...
and the Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
:
Deuteronomy chapter 29
AMidrash
''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
taught that the words, "You are standing this day all of you before the Lord your God," in should have been placed at the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy, only the Torah does not follow chronological order. The Midrash likened this to the words, "I Kohelet have been King over Israel in Jerusalem," in , which Rabbi Samuel the son of Rabbi Isaac said ought to have been written as a superscription at the beginning of the Book of Ecclesiastes, but is written in because the Torah does not follow a chronological order.
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
A Midrash cited as one of several places where Scripture speaks of the people of Israel as it does of angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
s. For Scripture speaks of both angels and the people of Israel as ''standing''. In reference to angels, says, "Above Him ''stood'' the seraph
A seraph (, "burning one"; plural seraphim ) is a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christ ...
im," while concerning Israel, says, "You are ''standing'' this day." Similarly, reports that the angels daily proclaim a three-part praise of God, saying, "Holy, holy, holy," and the people of Israel correspondingly daily say in three parts in the Amidah prayer, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." calls the angels "fire," referring to, "The flaming ''fire'' Your ministers," and also calls Israel "fire," saying, "And the house of Jacob shall be a ''fire''." The Midrash told how angels renew themselves each day, praise the Lord, and then return to the river of fire from which they emerged, and the Lord renews them and restores them to their former condition; for reports, "They are new every morning." So also Israel is sunk in iniquity on account of the evil impulse (, ''yetzer hara''), but they do penitence, and God each year (on Yom Kippur) pardons them and renews their heart to fear God; for says, "A new heart also will I give you." Hence God compared Israel to angels in Song of Songs , which calls Israel: "Terrible as an army with banners."
Rabbi Berekiah
R. Berekiah (or R. Berekhyah; he, רבי ברכיה, read as ''Rabbi Berekhyah'') was an ''Amoraim, Amora'' of the Land of Israel, of the fourth generation of the Amora era. He is known for his work on the Aggadah, and there are many of his statem ...
interpreted , "I am the man (, ''gever'') who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath," to mean that God strengthened the writer (representing the people of God) to withstand all afflictions (interpreting , ''gever'', "man," to mean , ''gibor'', "strong man"). Rabbi Berekiah noted that after the 98 reproofs in , says, "You are standing this day all of you," which Rabbi Berekiah taught we render (according to Onkelos
Onkelos ( he, אֻנְקְלוֹס ''ʾunqəlōs''), possibly identical to Aquila of Sinope, was a Roman national who converted to Judaism in Tannaic times ( 35–120 CE). He is considered to be the author of the Targum Onkelos ( 110 C ...
), "You ''endure'' this day all of you," and thus to mean, "you are strong men to withstand all these reproofs."
Similarly, a Midrash reported that two teachers offered different explanations of , "He (God) has bent His bow, and set me (, ''vayatziveni'') as a mark for the arrow." One taught that the verse compared Israel to a wedge
A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, and is a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by converti ...
used to split a log (as the wedge, Israel, is struck, but the log, the enemy, is split). The other taught that the verse compared Israel to a post on which a target for arrows is placed, at which all shoot but which remains standing. Rabbi Judan taught that the verse meant that God strengthened the writer (representing the people of God) to withstand all afflictions (reading , ''vayatziveni'', to mean "He has made me stand firm"). Rabbi Judan noted that after the 98 reproofs in , says, "You are standing (, ''nizavim'') this day all of you," which Rabbi Judan taught we render (according to Onkelos), "you endure this day all of you," and thus to mean, "you are strong men to withstand all these reproofs."
The Gemara deduced from the separate mention of "all the men of Israel," "your stranger," and "the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water" in that Moses meant to decree that the hewers of wood and the drawers of water (whom the Gemara deduced from were Gibeonites) were to be considered neither Israelites nor converts in that generation. The Gemara further deduced that in , Joshua extended that decree of separation for the period during which the Sanctuary existed, and in , David extended the decree for all generations.
The school of Rabbi Yannai
Rabbi Yannai (or Rabbi Jannai; he, רבי ינאי) was an '' amora'' who lived in the 3rd century, and of the first generation of the ''Amoraim'' of the Land of Israel.
Biography
A genealogical chart found at Jerusalem traced his descent from E ...
relied on the reference in to "the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water" to teach that slaves, as well, were children of the Covenant. The school of Rabbi Yannai taught that they could thus serve as agents for the delivery of divorce documents.
The Gemara interpreted the words "not with you alone do I make this covenant" in to teach that Moses adjured the Israelites to agree with the covenant not just as they understood it themselves, but also as Moses understood it, and as God understands it. Based on this reading of , a Baraita
''Baraita'' ( Aramaic: "external" or "outside"; pl. ''Barayata'' or ''Baraitot''; also Baraitha, Beraita; Ashkenazi: Beraisa) designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. ''Baraita'' thus refers to teachings ...
taught that judges would tell defendants that the court administered oaths to them not only according to the defendant's own understanding, but according to the understandings of God and the court.Babylonian Talmud Shevuot 39ain, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Elucidated by Michoel Weiner and Mordechai Kuber; edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, volume 51, page 39a2.
In response to a question from Rav Aha son of Rava, Rav Ashi
Rav Ashi ( he, רב אשי) ("Rabbi Ashi") (352–427) was a Babylonian Jewish rabbi, of the sixth generation of amoraim. He reestablished the Academy at Sura and was the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud.
Biography
According to a trad ...
taught that although later converts to Judaism may not have been literally present at Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai ( he , הר סיני ''Har Sinai''; Aramaic: ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ ''Ṭūrāʾ Dsyny''), traditionally known as Jabal Musa ( ar, جَبَل مُوسَىٰ, translation: Mount Moses), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is ...
, indicated that their angelic advocates were present when it said: "Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, but with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day."
The Tosefta
The Tosefta ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah.
Overview
In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...
deduced from that the conditions that the Rabbis deduced from the Torah for administering oaths will also apply to future generations and converts.
Similarly, a Baraita cited for the proposition that the covenant at Sinai included not only those who were standing by Mount Sinai, but also generations to come and converts who later became Jews. And the Baraita taught that they were also bound by commandments promulgated later, such as reading the Scroll of Esther on Purim
Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Book ...
, because reports, "They confirmed and accepted," indicating that the Jewish people confirmed that they had long ago accepted such commandments at Mount Sinai.
A Midrash interpreted to teach that God made a covenant not only with those at Sinai but also with generations to come. Rabbi Abbahu
Rabbi Abbahu ( he, אבהו) was a Jew and Talmudist of the Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina from about 279-320 and is counted a member of the third generation of Amoraim. He is sometimes cited as Rabbi Abbahu of Kisrin ( Caesarea).
Biogra ...
taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nachmani that says, "with him who stands here with us this day . . . and also with him who is not here with us this day," because souls were there even though their bodies were not yet created.
Similarly, Rabbi Isaac read to teach that the prophets received from the Revelation at Sinai all the messages that they were to prophesy to subsequent generations. For does not say, "who are not here ''standing'' with us this day," but just "who are not with us this day." Rabbi Isaac taught that thus refers to the souls that were to be created thereafter; because these souls did not yet have any substance in them, they could not yet be "standing" at Sinai. But although these souls did not yet exist, they still received their share of the Torah that day. Similarly, Rabbi Isaac concluded that all the Sages who arose in every generation thereafter received their wisdom from the Revelation at Sinai, for says, "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly . . . with a great voice, and it went on no more", implying that God's Revelation went on no more thereafter.
Reading , the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer
Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer (also Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer; Aramaic: פרקי דרבי אליעזר, or פרקים דרבי אליעזר, Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer; abbreviated PdRE) is an aggadic-midrashic work on the Torah containing exegesis and re ...
told that at the Revelation at Sinai, when the voice of the first commandment went forth, the heavens and earth quaked, the waters and rivers fled, the mountains and hills moved, all the trees fell prostrate, and the dead who were in Sheol
Sheol ( ; he, ''Šəʾōl'', Tiberian: ''Šŏʾōl'') in the Hebrew Bible is a place of still darkness which lies after death. Although not well defined in the Tanakh, Sheol in this view was a subterranean underworld where the souls of the ...
revived and stood on their feet until the end of all the generations. For says, "with him who stands here with us this day." And the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer read to teach that those who in the future would be created, until the end of all the generations, also stood there with those at Mount Sinai, as says, "And also with him who is not here with us this day."
The Tosefta deduced from that Moses adjured the Israelites on the plains of Moab
The Plains of Moab ( he, עַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב, translit=Arboth Mo'av, lit=Dry areas of Moab) are mentioned in three books of the Hebrew Bible (Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua) as an area in Transjordan, stretching along the Jordan "acr ...
not according to what was in their hearts, but according to what was in his heart.
The Tosefta cited the words of , "you have seen their detestable things, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were ''among'' them," for the proposition that items that were not used for the body of an idol — items that were merely ''among'' idols — were permitted to be used.
In , the heart cavils. A Midrash catalogued the wide range of additional capabilities of the heart reported in the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' . sees, hears, walks, falls, stands, rejoices, cries, is comforted, is troubled, becomes hardened, grows faint, grieves, fears, can be broken, becomes proud, rebels, invents, overflows, devises, desires, goes astray, lusts, is refreshed, can be stolen, is humbled, is enticed, errs, trembles, is awakened, loves, hates, envies, is searched, is rent, meditates, is like a fire, is like a stone, turns in repentance, becomes hot, dies, melts, takes in words, is susceptible to fear, gives thanks, covets, becomes hard, makes merry, acts deceitfully, speaks from out of itself, loves bribes, writes words, plans, receives commandments, acts with pride, makes arrangements, and aggrandizes itself. Rav Judah taught in Rav's name that the words, "that he bless himself in his heart, saying: 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart — that the watered be swept away with the dry'; the Lord will not be willing to pardon him," in apply to one who marries his daughter to an old man, or takes a mature wife for his infant son, or returns a lost article to an idolater. Rabbi
Explaining an assertion by 
Reading , Rabbi Joḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Simeon, that God did not punish the nation as a whole for hidden sins committed by individuals until the Jewish people crossed the Jordan River, as recounted in . Two
A Midrash told that if people complained that the Torah disadvantaged them, they should know that God actually gave them the Torah to benefit then. The ministering angels eagerly sought to get the Torah, but God hid it from them, as says, "Seeing it (that is, Wisdom) is hid from the eyes of all living (, ''chai'')," and , ''chai'', refers to the , ''
A Baraita taught that one day, Rabbi Eliezer employed every imaginable argument for the proposition that a particular type of oven was not susceptible to ritual impurity, but the Sages did not accept his arguments. Then Rabbi Eliezer told the Sages, "If the law agrees with me, then let this carob tree prove it," and the carob tree moved 100 
Reading , "For this commandment that I command you this day . . . is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart," a Midrash interpreted "heart" and "mouth" to symbolize the beginning and end of fulfilling a precept and thus read as an exhortation to complete a good deed once started. Thus Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba taught that if one begins a precept and does not complete it, the result will be that he will bury his wife and children. The Midrash cited as support for this proposition the experience of Judah, who began a precept and did not complete it. When 
The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that Rabbi Eliezer heard God say the words of "See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil." God said that God had given Israel these two ways, one good, the other evil. The good one is of life, the evil one of death. The good way has two byways, one of righteousness and the other of love, and Elijah stands exactly between the two. When a person comes to enter one of the ways, Elijah cries out in the words of , "Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps truth may enter in." Samuel the prophet, placed between the two byways, asked on which of the two byways to go. If he went on the way of righteousness, then the path of love would be better; if he went on the way of love, the way of righteousness would be better. But Samuel said that he would not give up either of them. God told Samuel that because the prophet had placed himself between the two good byways, God would give him three good gifts. Thus, everyone who does righteousness and shows the service of love inherits the three gifts of life, righteousness, and glory (as promises). Leading to the way of evil are four doors, and at each door stand seven angels — four merciful angels outside, and three cruel angels inside. When a person comes to enter a door, the merciful angels urge the person not to enter but to repent. If the person heeds them and repents, it is well, but if not, they tell the person not to enter the next door. Even as the person is about to enter the fourth door, the merciful angels say that every day God calls on people to return.
The 
In his ''
''Hilchot Teshuvah (The Laws of Repentance)'', chapter 5, halachah 4
in, e.g., ''Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Teshuvah: The Laws of Repentance''. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, volume 4, pages 122–29. Maimonides taught that even so, nothing happens in the world without God's permission and desire, as says, "Whatever God wishes, He has done in the heavens and in the earth." Maimonides said that everything happens in accord with God's will, and, nevertheless, we are responsible for our deeds. Explaining how this apparent contradiction is resolved, Maimonides said that just as God desired that fire rises upward and water descends downward, so too, God desired that people have free choice and be responsible for their deeds, without being pulled or forced. Rather, people, on their own initiative, with the knowledge that God granted them, do anything that people are able to do. Therefore, people are judged according to their deeds. If they do good, they are treated with beneficence. If they do bad, they are treated harshly. This is implied by the prophets. Maimonides acknowledged that one might ask: Since God knows everything that will occur before it comes to pass, does God not know whether a person will be righteous or wicked? And if God knows that a person will be righteous, it would appear impossible for that person not to be righteous. However, if one would say that despite God's knowledge that the person would be righteous it is possible for the person to be wicked, then God's knowledge would be incomplete. Maimonides taught that just as it is beyond human potential to comprehend God's essential nature, as says, "No man will perceive Me and live," so, too, it is beyond human potential to comprehend God's knowledge. This was what Isaiah intended when says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways, My ways." Accordingly, we do not have the potential to conceive how God knows all the creations and their deeds. But Maimonides said that it is without doubt that people's actions are in their own hands and God does not decree them. Consequently, the prophets taught that people are judged according to their deeds. Citing , Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that love for God is a leading example of a duty of the heart.
Alter saw in , "life and good and death and evil" an echo of "the tree of knowledge good and evil" in . Alter taught that the point is that good, which may lead to prosperity, is associated with life, just as evil, which may lead to adversity, is associated with death. Alter wrote that the Deuteronomic assumptions about historical causation may seem problematic or even untenable, but the powerful notion of the urgency of moral choice continues to resonate.
Professor
The
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(hewers of wood and drawers of water). * (God punishing the wicked); (fool who "in his heart" imagines escaping God); (God as life-giver); (God rooting out evil); (God as life-giver); (God's anger); (God's jealousy as fire); (God will return); (God restores); (God gathers exiles).
Sanhedrin 10:3
Land of Israel, circa 200 CE. In, e.g., ''The Mishnah: A New Translation''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, page 605. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. . *
Sotah 7:3–5Avodah Zarah 6:13
Land of Israel, circa 250 CE. In, e.g., ''The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, volume 1, pages 861–62; volume 2, page 1285. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002. . *
*
Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Genesis''. Translated by
Berakhot 40aEruvin 54a–55aPesachim 49bYoma 54aSukkah 46bMegillah 29aKiddushin 40aSanhedrin 43b76b99b110bMakkot 22bShevuot 29a39aArakhin 32bTemurah 16a
Sasanian Empire, 6th century. In, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
8:1–7
Land of Israel, 9th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy''. Translated by
*
Deuteronomy 29–30
Troyes, France, late 11th century. In, e.g., Rashi. ''The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated''. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 5, pages 303–18. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. . *
*
''Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah (The Laws that Are the Foundations of the Torah)'', chapter 7, halachah 7
Egypt, circa 1170–1180. In, e.g., ''Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah: The Laws hich Arethe Foundations of the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, volume 1, pages 258–62, 270–74. New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1989. .
*
* Zohar volume 1, pages 1b, 23a, 91a, 92a, 108a, 120b, 157a, 168a, 173a, 222b; volume 2, pages 3a, 9a, 17a, 62a, 82a, 83b, 86b, 174b, 188b; volume 3, pages 86a, 159a, 270a. Spain, late 13th century. In, e.g., ''The Zohar''. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
*
*
*Thomas Hobbes. ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', s:Leviathan/The Third Part#Chapter XXXVI: Of the Word of God.2C and of Prophets, 3:36. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, page 456. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. .
*Chaim ibn Attar. ''Ohr ha-Chaim''. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. ''Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 5, pages 1968–81. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999. .
*''Marbury v. Madison'', 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803).
*Samson Raphael Hirsch. ''Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances''. Translated by Isidore Grunfeld, pages 20, 369–74, 385–91. London: Soncino Press, 1962. Reprinted 2002 . Originally published as ''Horeb, Versuche über Jissroel's Pflichten in der Zerstreuung''. Germany, 1837.
*Samuel David Luzzatto (Shadal). ''Commentary on the Torah.'' Padua, 1871. In, e.g., Samuel David Luzzatto. ''Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1262–66. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012. .
*Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. ''Sefat Emet''. Góra Kalwaria (Ger), Poland, before 1906. Excerpted in ''The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet''. Translated and interpreted by Arthur Green, pages 329–32. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. . Reprinted 2012. .
*Hermann Cohen. ''Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism''. Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan; introductory essays by Leo Strauss, pages 81, 408. New York: Ungar, 1972. Reprinted Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. . Originally published as ''Religion der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums''. Leipzig: Gustav Fock, 1919.
*Abraham Isaac Kook. ''The Lights of Penitence'', 17:2. 1925. In ''Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems''. Translated by Ben Zion Bokser, page 127. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1978. .
*Alexander Alan Steinbach. ''Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch'', pages 161–64. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936.
*Joseph Reider. ''The Holy Scriptures: Deuteronomy with Commentary'', pages 274–86. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1937.
*Martin Buber. ''On the Bible: Eighteen studies'', pages 80–92. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
*F. Charles Fensham. "Salt as Curse in the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East." ''Near Eastern Archaeology Magazine, Biblical Archaeologist'', volume 25 (number 2) (May 1962): pages 48–50.
*Nechama Leibowitz, Nehama Leibowitz. ''Studies in Devarim: Deuteronomy'', pages 298–326. Jerusalem: The World Zionist Organization, 1980.
*Carl Sagan. "Who Speaks for Earth?" ''Cosmos: A Personal Voyage'', episode 13. Cosmos Studios, 1980. (quoting and expounding on in the context humanity's choice to avoid self-destruction).
*Pinchas Hacohen Peli, Pinchas H. Peli. ''Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture'', pages 229–31. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987. .
*Patrick D. Miller. ''Deuteronomy'', pages 199–216. Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, John Knox Press, 1990.
*Lawrence Schiffman, Lawrence H. Schiffman. "The New Halakhic Letter (4QMMT) and the Origins of the Dead Sea Sect." ''Biblical Archaeologist'', volume 53 (number 2) (June 1990): pages 64–73.
*Mark S. Smith. ''The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel'', pages 85, 149. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990. . (; ).
*Bernhard Anderson, Bernhard W. Anderson. "'Subdue the Earth': What Does It Mean? Humans received a God-given freedom to choose between a lifestyle that fosters life on this planet or that leads to death for the earth and its inhabitants. In the words of Deuteronomy 30:19: 'Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.'" ''Bible Review'', volume 8 (number 5) (October 1992).
*''A Song of Power and the Power of Song: Essays on the Book of Deuteronomy''. Edited by Duane L. Christensen. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1993. .
*Judith S. Antonelli. "Canaanites and the Covenant." In ''In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah'', pages 482–88. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995. .
*Ellen Frankel. ''The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah'', pages 292–94. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. .
*Gunther Plaut, W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Haftarah Commentary'', pages 500–09. New York: UAHC Press, 1996. .
*Jeffrey H. Tigay. ''The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation'', pages 277–88. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. .
*Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden. ''Teaching Torah: A Treasury of Insights and Activities'', pages 335–39. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997. .
*Susan Freeman. ''Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities'', pages 8–25. Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, Springfield, New Jersey: A.R.E. Publishing, 1999. . ().
*Adin Steinsaltz. ''Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life'', page 84. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. .
*Miriam Carey Berkowitz. "Women and the Covenant." In ''The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions''. Edited by Elyse Goldstein, pages 377–83. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000. .
*Richard D. Nelson. "Deuteronomy." In ''The HarperCollins Bible Commentary''. Edited by James Luther Mays, James L. Mays, pages 210–11. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, revised edition, 2000. .
*Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss. ''Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, and Strategies'', pages 348–54. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 2002. .
*Michael Fishbane. ''The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot'', pages 310–17. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002. .
*Alan Lew. ''This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation'', pages 65, 82–85, 152–54, 164. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2003. .
*Joseph Telushkin. ''The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life'', page 13. New York: Bell Tower, 2003. .
* Robert Alter. ''The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary'', pages 1022–30. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004. .
*Bernard M. Levinson. "Deuteronomy." In ''The Jewish Study Bible''. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, pages 433–37. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. .
*''Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading'' Edited by Leib Moscovitz, pages 345–48. Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2005. .
*Nathaniel Philbrick. ''Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War'', page 292. New York: Viking Penguin, 2006. .
*W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition''. Revised edition edited by David E. Stern, David E.S. Stern, pages 1372–85. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, 2006. .
*Suzanne A. Brody. "The Covenant." In ''Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems'', page 109. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007. .
*James Kugel, James L. Kugel. ''How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now'', pages 347, 350–52, 354. New York: Free Press, 2007. .
*''The Torah: A Women's Commentary''. Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea Weiss (rabbi), Andrea L. Weiss, pages 1217–34. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, URJ Press, 2008. .
*Eugene E. Carpenter. "Deuteronomy." In ''Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary''. Edited by John H. Walton, volume 1, pages 512–13. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009. .
*Sue Levi Elwell. "Embodied Jews: Parashat Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)." In ''Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible''. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 263–66. New York: New York University Press, 2009. .
*Bruce Feiler. ''America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story''. New York: William Morrow and Company, William Morrow, 2009. . (on "choose life").
*Reuven Hammer. ''Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion'', pages 293–98. New York: Gefen Publishing House, 2009. .
*David Frankel
"Deuteronomy 29:21–28 in Historical and Textual Contexts."
''Hebrew Studies'', volume 52 (2011): pages 137–70. *Shmuel Herzfeld. "Returning Together." In ''Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons'', pages 290–93. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012. .
*Janice Weizman. "Beyond Belief: The notion of literature as a witness that cannot be denied testifies to the fact that generations of Jews have believed what is found there." ''The Jerusalem Report'', volume 24 (number 11) (September 9, 2013): page 43.
*Shlomo Riskin. ''Torah Lights: Devarim: Moses Bequeaths Legacy, History, and Covenant'', pages 315–46. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2014. .
*''The Commentators' Bible: The Rubin JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Deuteronomy.'' Edited, translated, and annotated by Michael Carasik, pages 196–206. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2015. .
*Jonathan Sacks. ''Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 281–86. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015. .
*Jonathan Sacks. ''Essays on Ethics: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 317–21. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016. .
*Kenneth Seeskin. ''Thinking about the Torah: A Philosopher Reads the Bible'', pages 171–76. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2016. .
*Shai Held. ''The Heart of Torah, Volume 2: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy'', pages 270–79. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. .
*Steven Levy and Sarah Levy. ''The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary'', pages 174–76. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. .
*Ernst Wendland.
Deuteronomy: translationNotes.
' Orlando, Florida: unfoldingWord, 2017. *Jonathan Sacks. ''Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant'', pages 253–87. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2019.
Hear the parashah chanted
Academy for Jewish Religion, New YorkAkhlah: The Jewish Children's Learning NetworkAleph Beta AcademyAmerican Jewish University — Ziegler School of Rabbinic StudiesAscent of SafedBar-Ilan UniversityChabad.orgeparsha.comG-dcastJewish Theological SeminaryMechon HadarMyJewishLearning.comOhr SameachON Scripture — The TorahOzTorah, Torah from AustraliaOz Ve Shalom — Netivot ShalomPardes from JerusalemProfessor James L. KugelProfessor Michael CarasikRabbi Dov LinzerRabbi Jonathan SacksRabbiShimon.comRabbi Shmuel HerzfeldReconstructionist JudaismSephardic InstituteShiur.comTeach613.org, Torah Education at Cherry Hill
*https://www.thetorah.com/parashah/nitzavim/ TheTorah.com]
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{{Weekly Torah Portions Weekly Torah readings in Elul Weekly Torah readings from Deuteronomy
'' . sees, hears, walks, falls, stands, rejoices, cries, is comforted, is troubled, becomes hardened, grows faint, grieves, fears, can be broken, becomes proud, rebels, invents, overflows, devises, desires, goes astray, lusts, is refreshed, can be stolen, is humbled, is enticed, errs, trembles, is awakened, loves, hates, envies, is searched, is rent, meditates, is like a fire, is like a stone, turns in repentance, becomes hot, dies, melts, takes in words, is susceptible to fear, gives thanks, covets, becomes hard, makes merry, acts deceitfully, speaks from out of itself, loves bribes, writes words, plans, receives commandments, acts with pride, makes arrangements, and aggrandizes itself. Rav Judah taught in Rav's name that the words, "that he bless himself in his heart, saying: 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart — that the watered be swept away with the dry'; the Lord will not be willing to pardon him," in apply to one who marries his daughter to an old man, or takes a mature wife for his infant son, or returns a lost article to an idolater. Rabbi
Haninah
Hanina(h) ben Ahi Rabbi Joshua ( he, חנינא בן אחי רבי יהושע), or Hananiah ben Ahi Rabbi Joshua ( he, חנניה בן אחי רבי יהושע), meaning 'Haninah/Hananiah son of the brother of Rabbi Yehoshua' was a Jewish Tanna s ...
(or some say Rabbi Joshua ben Levi) deduced from the words "the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt" in that all the land of Israel was burned, and thus even wicked people buried in the land of Israel before that time will merit to be resurrected, because the burning of the land will have executed on them the punishment that justice demanded. A Baraita taught in the name of Rabbi Judah that the land of Israel burned for seven years.
Explaining an assertion by Rabbi Jose
Jose ben Halafta or Yose ben Halafta (or Yose ben Halpetha) (Hebrew: רבי יוסי בן חלפתא; IPA: /ʁa'bi 'josi ben xa'lafta/) was a tanna of the fourth generation (2nd century CE). He is the fifth-most-frequently mentioned sage in the M ...
, Rabbi Joḥanan deduced from the parallel use of word "covenant" in and that the land sown with "brimstone and salt" foretold in was the same seven years of barren soil inflicted by Israel's enemy in .
Rabbi Akiva
Akiva ben Yosef (Mishnaic Hebrew: ''ʿĂqīvāʾ ben Yōsēf''; – 28 September 135 CE), also known as Rabbi Akiva (), was a leading Jewish scholar and sage, a '' tanna'' of the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second c ...
interpreted the words "and ecast them into another land, as it is this day" in to teach that the Ten Lost Tribes
The ten lost tribes were the ten of the Twelve Tribes of Israel that were said to have been exiled from the Kingdom of Israel after its conquest by the Neo-Assyrian Empire BCE. These are the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Ash ...
of Israel were destined not to return. But Rabbi Eliezer interpreted the allusion to "day" in differently, teaching that just as the day darkens and then becomes light again, so even though it went dark for the Ten Tribes, it will become light for them again.
Reading , Rabbi Joḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Simeon, that God did not punish the nation as a whole for hidden sins committed by individuals until the Jewish people crossed the Jordan River, as recounted in . Two Tannaim
''Tannaim'' ( Amoraic Hebrew: תנאים , singular , ''Tanna'' "repeaters", "teachers") were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the ''Tannaim'', also referred to as the Mis ...
disputed why dots appear in the Masoretic Text over the words "to us and to our children forever" (, ''lanu ulvaneinu ad'') in . Rabbi Judah said that the dots teach that God would not punish the Israelite community as a whole for transgressions committed in secret until the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River. Rabbi Nehemiah questioned, however, whether God ever punished the Israelite community for transgressions committed in secret, noting that said, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God . . . forever." Rabbi Nehemiah taught that God did not punish the Israelite community for secret transgressions at any time, and God did not punish the Israelite community as a whole for open transgressions until they had crossed the Jordan.
Similarly, in the Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
, Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish (Resh Lakish) taught that when the Israelites were crossing the Jordan River, they took upon themselves responsibility for each other's hidden sins as well as revealed sins. Joshua told them that if they did not accept responsibility for hidden things, the waters of the Jordan would descend and drown them. Rabbi Simon bar Zabeda agreed, saying that we know that this is true, because Achan sinned in secret after the Israelites crossed the Jordan, and the majority of the Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence ' assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ...
fell at the battle of Ai on account of Achan's sin. Rabbi Levi, however, taught that at Yavne
Yavne ( he, יַבְנֶה) or Yavneh is a city in the Central District of Israel. In many English translations of the Bible, it is known as Jabneh . During Greco-Roman times, it was known as Jamnia ( grc, Ἰαμνία ''Iamníā''; la, Iamnia) ...
h, the strap was untied and people were no longer subject to punishment for the private sins of individuals. A Heavenly voice declared that the Israelites no longer needed to get involved in hidden sins or to inquire about them.
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
(Judah the Patriarch) taught that when all Israel stood before Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, they decided unanimously to accept the reign of God joyfully. Furthermore, they pledged themselves responsible for one another. God was willing to make a covenant with the Israelites not only concerning overt acts that God revealed to Israel, but also concerning God's secret acts, reading to say, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God and the things that are revealed." But the Israelites told God that they were ready to make a covenant with God with regard to overt acts, but not with regard to secret acts, lest one Israelite commit a sin secretly and the entire community be held responsible for it.
A Midrash offered alternative explanations of why there are points over the words "to us and to our children" (, ''lanu ulbaneinu'') and over the first letter (, ''ayin
''Ayin'' (also ''ayn'' or ''ain''; transliterated ) is the sixteenth letter of the Semitic scripts, including Phoenician , Hebrew , Aramaic , Syriac ܥ, and Arabic (where it is sixteenth in abjadi order only).
The letter represen ...
'') of the word "to" (, ''ad'') in . One explanation: God told the Israelites that they had performed the precepts that had been revealed, and God, on God's part, would make known to them the things that were secret. Another explanation: Ezra
Ezra (; he, עֶזְרָא, '; fl. 480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (, ') and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe ('' sofer'') and priest (''kohen''). In Greco-Latin Ezra is called Esdras ( grc-gre, Ἔσδρα ...
(whom some consider the author of these diacritical points, although others regard them as having come from Sinai) reasoned that if Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
came and asked Ezra why he had written these words, Ezra could answer that he had already placed points over them. And if Elijah told Ezra that he had done well in writing them, then Ezra would erase the points over them. (If Elijah said that the words should not have been written, Ezra could answer that he had dotted them so that people could understand that they were to be disregarded. If Elijah approved of the words, then Ezra could erase the dots.)
The Avot of Rabbi Natan enumerated ten Torah passages marked with dots. The Avot of Rabbi Natan interpreted the dots over to teach that the secret things are not revealed to us in this world, but will be in the world to come
The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or ...
.
Deuteronomy chapter 30
A Midrash interpreted to teach that if the Israelites repented while they were in exile, then God would gather them back together, as says, "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse . . . and oushall return . . . and hearken to His voice . . . the Lord your God will bring you into the land . . . and the Lord your God will circumcise your heart." RabbiSimon ben Yohai
Shimon bar Yochai ( Zoharic Aramaic: שמעון בר יוחאי, ''Shim'on bar Yoḥai'') or Shimon ben Yochai (Mishnaic Hebrew: שמעון בן יוחאי, ''Shim'on ben Yoḥai''), also known by the acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-century ''tannaiti ...
deduced from the words "the Lord your God will return ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
your captivity" in that the Shechinah
Shekhinah, also spelled Shechinah ( Hebrew: שְׁכִינָה ''Šəḵīnā'', Tiberian: ''Šăḵīnā'') is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the presence of God, as it were, in a plac ...
went with the Israelites to every place to which they were exiled, and will be with them when they are redeemed in the future. By way of explanation, the Baraita noted that did not say "and odshall bring back" but "and odshall return," teaching that God will return with the Israelites from their places of exile. Rabbi Simon concluded that thus showed how beloved the Children of Israel are in God's sight.
Rabbi Jose bar Haninah deduced from that when the Jews arrived back in the land of Israel in the time of Ezra, they once again became obligated to obey commandments like tithes (, ''ma'asrot''). Rabbi Jose bar Haninah reasoned that the words, "And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it," in showed that the Jews' possession of the land in the time of Ezra was comparable to their possession of it in the time of Joshua. And thus, just as Jews in the time of Joshua were obliged to tithe, so Jews in the time of Ezra were obliged to tithe. And the Gemara interpreted the words, "He will do you good, and make you greater than you fathers," in to teach that the Jews of the time of Ezra were still able to enter the land of Israel as their ancestors had, even though the Jews of the time of Ezra bore the yoke of foreign government on their shoulders and their ancestors had not.
A Midrash taught that fools enter the synagogue, and seeing people occupying themselves with the law, ask how a person learns the law. They answer that first a person reads from children's materials, then from the Torah, then from the Prophets (, ''Nevi'im''), and then from the Writings (, ''Ketuvim''). Then the person learns the Talmud, then the law (, ''halachah
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
''), and then the Midrash (, ''haggadot''). Hearing this, fools ask themselves when they can learn all that, and turn to leave. Rabbi Jannai compared this to a loaf suspended in the air. The fool exclaims that no one can bring it down. But the wise person says that someone put it there and takes a ladder or stick and brings it down. So fools complain that they are unable to read all the law. But wise people learn a chapter every day until they read all the law. God said in , "it is not too hard for you," but if you find it too hard, it is your own fault, because you do not study it.
A Midrash told that if people complained that the Torah disadvantaged them, they should know that God actually gave them the Torah to benefit then. The ministering angels eagerly sought to get the Torah, but God hid it from them, as says, "Seeing it (that is, Wisdom) is hid from the eyes of all living (, ''chai'')," and , ''chai'', refers to the , ''chayot
The living creatures, living beings, or ''hayyot'' (Hebrew חַיּוֹת ''ḥayyōṯ'') are a class of heavenly beings in Jewish mythology. They are described in the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly chariot in the first and tenth chap ...
'', the Heavenly living creatures cited in . Then continues, "And kept close from the flying beings of the air," and this refers to the angels, as says, "Then flew to me one of the Seraphim." God told the Israelites that the law was too abstruse for the ministering angels, but not for the Israelites, as says, "this commandment that I command you this day, it is not too hard for you."
Rav Judah taught in the name of Rav that because, as reports, the Torah is not in Heaven, God was not able to answer Joshua's questions about the law. Rav Judah reported in the name of Rav that when Moses was dying, he invited Joshua to ask him about any doubts that Joshua might have. Joshua replied by asking Moses whether Joshua had ever left Moses for an hour and gone elsewhere. Joshua asked Moses whether Moses had not written in , "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. . . . But his servant Joshua the son of Nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
departed not out of the Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
." Joshua's words wounded Moses, and immediately the strength of Moses waned, and Joshua forgot 300 laws, and 700 doubts concerning laws arose in Joshua's mind. The Israelites then arose to kill Joshua (unless he could resolve these doubts). God then told Joshua that it was not possible to tell him the answers (for, as tells, the Torah is not in Heaven). Instead, God then directed Joshua to occupy the Israelites' attention in war, as reports.
A Baraita taught that one day, Rabbi Eliezer employed every imaginable argument for the proposition that a particular type of oven was not susceptible to ritual impurity, but the Sages did not accept his arguments. Then Rabbi Eliezer told the Sages, "If the law agrees with me, then let this carob tree prove it," and the carob tree moved 100 cubit
The cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It was primarily associated with the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Israelites. The term ''cubit'' is found in the Bible regarding ...
s (and others say 400 cubits) out of its place. But the Sages said that no proof can be brought from a carob tree. Then Rabbi Eliezer told the Sages, "If the halachah agrees with me, let this stream of water prove it," and the stream of water flowed backwards. But the Sages said that no proof can be brought from a stream of water. Then Rabbi Eliezer told the Sages, "If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of this house of study prove it," and the walls leaned over as if to fall. But Rabbi Joshua rebuked the walls, telling them not to interfere with scholars engaged in a halachic dispute. In honor of Rabbi Joshua, the walls did not fall, but in honor of Rabbi Eliezer, the walls did not stand upright, either. Then Rabbi Eliezer told the Sages, "If the halachah agrees with me, let Heaven prove it," and a Heavenly Voice cried out: "Why do you dispute with Rabbi Eliezer, for in all matters the halachah agrees with him!" But Rabbi Joshua rose and exclaimed in the words of "It is not in heaven." Rabbi Jeremiah explained that God had given the Torah at Mount Sinai; Jews pay no attention to Heavenly Voices, for God wrote in "After the majority must one incline." Later, Rabbi Nathan met Elijah and asked him what God did when Rabbi Joshua rose in opposition to the Heavenly Voice. Elijah replied that God laughed with joy, saying, "My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me!"
Rav Hisda taught that one should use mnemonic devices to learn the Torah. And the Gemara taught that this agrees with Abdimi bar Hama bar Dosa, who interpreted to mean that if it were "in heaven," one would have to go up after it, and if it were "beyond the sea," one would have to go overseas after it. Rather, people can learn the Torah using the tools that they find where they are. Rava (or some say Rabbi Johanan) interpreted "it is not in heaven" to mean that the Torah is not to be found among those who believe that their insight towers as high as the heavens. And Rava interpreted "neither is it beyond the sea" to mean that it is not to be found among those whose self-esteem expands as the sea. Rabbi Johanan (or some say Rava) interpreted "it is not in heaven" to mean that the Torah is not to be found among the arrogant. And Rabbi Johanan interpreted "neither is it beyond the sea" to mean that it is not to be found among traveling merchants and business people.
A Midrash interpreted the words "For this commandment . . . is not in heaven" in to teach that Jews should not look for another Moses to come and bring another Torah from heaven, for no part of the Torah remained in heaven. Rabbi Hanina interpreted the words "For this commandment . . . is not in heaven" in to teach that God gave the Torah with all its characteristic teachings of meekness, righteousness, and uprightness, and also its reward. Samuel interpreted the words "For this commandment . . . is not in heaven" in to teach that the Torah is not to be found among astrologers who gaze at the heavens. When people countered that Samuel himself was an astrologer and also a great Torah scholar, he replied that he engaged in astrology only when he was free from studying the Torah — when he was in the bath.
Reading , "For this commandment that I command you this day . . . is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart," a Midrash related the commandments to the human body. The Midrash taught that bears out , "For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." Rabbi Hiyya taught that the law is a salve for the eye, an emollient for a wound, and a root-drink for the bowels. The law is a salve for the eye, as says, "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." The law is an emollient for a wound, as says, "It shall be health to your navel." And the law is a root-drink for the bowels, as continues, "And marrow to your bones." Another Midrash read , "For this commandment that I command you this day . . . is very near to you, in your mouth," together with , "For they are life to those who find them," to teach that the commandments are life for those who speak them aloud. The Midrash related that a disciple of Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob
Eliezer ben Jacob I (Hebrew: אליעזר בן יעקב) was a tannaim, Tanna of the 1st century; contemporary of Eleazar Chisma and Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, and senior to Judah ben Ilai.
Of his personal history nothing is known, except that he had ...
used to run through all of his study in a single hour, and when once when he fell ill, he forgot all that he had learned, because he did not speak the words out loud. When, however, Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob prayed for him, all his learning came back to him. Another Midrash read together with to teach that the commandments are life to those who tell them to others. Another Midrash read together with , "For they are life to those who find them," to teach that the commandments are life to those who carry out the commandments completely, for Deuteronomy repeatedly says, "all the commandment" (, ''kol ha-mitzvah''), which the Midrash taught means until one completely carries out all the precepts. And the Midrash taught that the conclusion of , "health to all their flesh," refers to all the parts of the body, demonstrating the force of , "For this commandment that I command you this day . . . is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart."
Reading , "For this commandment that I command you this day . . . is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart," a Midrash interpreted "heart" and "mouth" to symbolize the beginning and end of fulfilling a precept and thus read as an exhortation to complete a good deed once started. Thus Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba taught that if one begins a precept and does not complete it, the result will be that he will bury his wife and children. The Midrash cited as support for this proposition the experience of Judah, who began a precept and did not complete it. When Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
came to his brothers and they sought to kill him, as Joseph's brothers said in , "Come now therefore, and let us slay him," Judah did not let them, saying in , "What profit is it if we slay our brother?" and they listened to him, for he was their leader. And had Judah called for Joseph's brothers to restore Joseph to their father, they would have listened to him then, as well. Thus because Judah began a precept (the good deed toward Joseph) and did not complete it, he buried his wife and two sons, as reports, "Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died," and further reports, " Er and Onan
Onan ''Aunan'' was a figure detailed in the Book of Genesis chapter 38, as the second son of Judah and Shuah, and the brother of Er and Shelah. After being commanded by Judah to procreate with the late Er's wife Tamar, he instead "spilled his s ...
died in the land of Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
." In another Midrash reading "heart" and "mouth" in to symbolize the beginning and the end of fulfilling a precept, Rabbi Levi said in the name of Hama bar Hanina that if one begins a precept and does not complete it, and another comes and completes it, it is attributed to the one who has completed it. The Midrash illustrated this by citing how Moses began a precept by taking the bones of Joseph with him, as reports, "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him." But because Moses never brought Joseph's bones into the Land of Israel, the precept is attributed to the Israelites, who buried them, as reports, "And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem
Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first c ...
." does not say, "Which ''Moses'' brought up out of Egypt," but "Which ''the children of Israel'' brought up out of Egypt." And the Midrash explained that the reason that they buried Joseph's bones in Shechem could be compared to a case in which some thieves stole a cask of wine, and when the owner discovered them, the owner told them that after they had consumed the wine, they needed to return the cask to its proper place. So when the brothers sold Joseph, it was from Shechem that they sold him, as reports, "And Israel said to Joseph: 'Do not your brothers feed the flock in Shechem?'" God told the brothers that since they had sold Joseph from Shechem, they needed to return Joseph's bones to Shechem. And as the Israelites completed the precept, it is called by their name, demonstrating the force of , "For this commandment that I command you this day . . . is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart."
Rabbi Samuel bar Nachmani told a parable to explain the words of , "But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it." Rabbi Samuel taught that it is as if there were a king's daughter who was not acquainted with any man, and the king had a friend who could visit him at any time, and the princess waited on the friend. The king told the friend that this indicated how much the king loved him, for no one was acquainted with his daughter, yet she waited upon the friend. Similarly, God told Israel that it indicated how beloved Israel was to God, for no being in God's palace was acquainted with the Torah, yet God entrusted it to Israel. As says, "Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living," but as for the Children of Israel (as says), "It is not too hard for you . . . but the word is very near to you."
Rabbi Ammi
Rabbi Ammi, Aimi, Immi (Hebrew: רבי אמי) is the name of several Jewish Talmudists, known as amoraim, who lived in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud the first form only is used; in the Jerusalem Talmud all three fo ...
expounded on the words, "For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them ords of the wisewithin you; let them be established altogether upon your lips," in . He explained that the words of the Torah are "pleasant" when one keeps them within oneself, and one does that when the words are "established altogether upon your lips." Rabbi Isaac said that this may be derived from the words of "But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it," for "it is very near to you" when it is "in your mouth and in your heart" to do it. Thus, reading the Torah aloud helps one to keep its precepts in one's heart, and thus to carry them out.
The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that Rabbi Eliezer heard God say the words of "See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil." God said that God had given Israel these two ways, one good, the other evil. The good one is of life, the evil one of death. The good way has two byways, one of righteousness and the other of love, and Elijah stands exactly between the two. When a person comes to enter one of the ways, Elijah cries out in the words of , "Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps truth may enter in." Samuel the prophet, placed between the two byways, asked on which of the two byways to go. If he went on the way of righteousness, then the path of love would be better; if he went on the way of love, the way of righteousness would be better. But Samuel said that he would not give up either of them. God told Samuel that because the prophet had placed himself between the two good byways, God would give him three good gifts. Thus, everyone who does righteousness and shows the service of love inherits the three gifts of life, righteousness, and glory (as promises). Leading to the way of evil are four doors, and at each door stand seven angels — four merciful angels outside, and three cruel angels inside. When a person comes to enter a door, the merciful angels urge the person not to enter but to repent. If the person heeds them and repents, it is well, but if not, they tell the person not to enter the next door. Even as the person is about to enter the fourth door, the merciful angels say that every day God calls on people to return.
The Sifre
Sifre ( he, סִפְרֵי; ''siphrēy'', ''Sifre, Sifrei'', also, ''Sifre debe Rab'' or ''Sifre Rabbah'') refers to either of two works of '' Midrash halakha'', or classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Number ...
interpreted the "ways" of God referred to in (as well as ; ; ; ; ; ; and ) by making reference to , "The Lord, the Lord, God of mercy and grace, slow to wrath and abundant in mercy and truth, keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving transgression, offense, and sin, and cleansing . . . ." Thus the Sifre read , "All who will be called by the name of the Lord shall be delivered," to teach that just as calls God "merciful and gracious," we, too, should be merciful and gracious. And just as says, "The Lord is righteous," we, too, should be righteous.
The Gemara taught that the words "if your heart turns away . . . you will not hear" in can describe Torah study. If one listens to the old, and reviews what one has already learned, then one will perceive new understanding. But if one turns away and does not review what one has learned, then one may not perceive the opportunity for new learning.
Rabbi Haggai taught that not only had God in set two paths before the Israelites, "a blessing and a curse," but God did not administer justice to them according to the strict letter of the law, but allowed them mercy so that they might (in the words of ) "choose life."
The Sifre explained that explicitly says, "I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, ''if you obey the commandments'' . . . and the curse, ''if you shall not obey the commandments''," because otherwise the Israelites might read , "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse," and think that since God set before them both paths, they could go whichever way they chose. Thus, directs explicitly: "choose life."
Rabbi Ishmael
Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha Nachmani (Hebrew: רבי ישמעאל בן אלישע), often known as Rabbi Yishmael and sometimes given the title "Ba'al HaBaraita" (Hebrew: בעל הברייתא), was a rabbi of the 1st and 2nd centuries (third gener ...
deduced from the words "choose life" in that one can learn a trade to earn a livelihood, notwithstanding the admonition of that "you shall contemplate he Torahday and night."
Rav Judah interpreted the words "for that is your life and the length of your days" in to teach that refusing to read when one is given a Torah scroll to read is one of three things that shorten a person's days and years (along with refusing to say grace when one is given a cup of benediction and assuming airs of authority).
The Rabbis taught that once the Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
government forbade Jews to study the Torah. Pappus ben Judah found Rabbi Akiva publicly gathering people to study Torah and asked Akiva whether he did not fear the government. Akiva replied with a parable: A fox was once walking alongside of a river, and he saw fish swimming from one place to another. The fox asked the fish from what they fled. The fish replied that they fled from the nets cast by men. The fox invited the fish to come up onto the dry land, so that they could live together as the fox's ancestors had lived with the fish's ancestors. The fish replied that for an animal described as the cleverest of animals, the fox was rather foolish. For if the fish were afraid in the element in which they live, how much more would they fear in the element in which they would die. Akiva said that it was the same with Jews. If such was the Jews' condition when they sat and studied Torah, of which says, "that is your life and the length of your days," how much worse off would Jews be if they neglected the Torah!
A Baraita was taught in the Academy of Eliyahu: A certain scholar diligently studied Bible and Mishnah, and greatly served scholars, but nonetheless died young. His wife carried his tefillin
Tefillin (; Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazic pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Tefillin are worn by adult Jews durin ...
to the synagogues and schoolhouses and asked if says, "for that is your life, and the length of your days," why her husband nonetheless died young. No one could answer her. On one occasion, Eliyahu asked her how he was to her during her days of white garments — the seven days after her menstrual period — and she reported that they ate, drank, and slept together without clothing. Eliyahu explained that God must have slain him because he did not sufficiently respect the separation that requires.
In medieval Jewish interpretation
The parashah is discussed in thesemedieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
Jewish sources:
Deuteronomy chapter 29
Baḥya ibn Paquda read , "The secret things belong to the Lord, our God," to teach that God knows equally what people reveal and what they conceal, and God will repay people for all that God's omniscience observes in us, even if it remains hidden from other people. Baḥya also read the words of to provide a reply to the question of why some righteous people do not receive their livelihood except after hard and strenuous toil, while many transgressors are at ease, living a good, pleasant life. For each specific case has its own particular reason, known only to God.Deuteronomy chapter 30
Baḥya ibn Paquda read to reduce all religious service to the service of the heart and tongue. Baḥya ibn Paquda cited for the proposition that a tainted motive renders even numerous good deeds unacceptable. Baḥya ibn Paquda noted that one could read , "See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil," and , "therefore choose life," to imply that people's actions are in their own power, that people can choose as they please, and that their actions flow from free will, and thus that people are liable to reward or punishment for their actions. But other verses imply that all is determined by God. Baḥya taught that the view closest to the way of salvation accepts both human free will and God's determination. Thus, Baḥya counselled that one should act as if actions are left to a human beings' free will and will be rewarded or punished, and that we should strive to do all that will please God. At the same time, one ought to trust in God with the trust of one fully convinced that all things happen by God's decree and that God has a conclusive claim on us, while we have no claim on God.
In his ''Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...
'', Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
hinged his discussion of free will
Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded.
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...
on says, "Behold, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil." Maimonides taught that God grants free will to all people. One can choose to turn to good or evil.
Maimonides taught that people should not entertain the foolish thesis that at the time of their creation, God decrees whether they will be righteous or wicked (what some call "predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...
"). Rather, each person is fit to be righteous or wicked. Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...
implied this in "From the mouth of the Most High, neither evil nor good come forth." Accordingly, sinners, themselves, cause their own loss. It is thus proper for people to mourn for their sins and for the evil consequences that they have brought upon their own souls. Jeremiah continues that since free choice is in our hands and our own decision prompts us to commit wrongs, it is proper for us to repent and abandon our wickedness, for the choice is in our hands. This is implied by , "Let us search and examine our ways and return o God
Oh God may refer to:
* An exclamation; similar to "oh no", "oh yes", "oh my", "aw goodness", "ah gosh", "ah gawd"; see interjection
''Oh, God!'' franchise
* ''Oh, God!'' (film) (1977 film) aka "Oh, God! 1"
* ''Oh, God! Book II'' (1980 film) aka ...
"
Maimonides taught that this principle is a pillar on which rests the Torah and the commandments, as says, "Behold, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil," and says, "Behold, I have set before you today the blessing and the curse," implying that the choice is in our hands.
Maimonides argued that the idea that God decrees that an individual is righteous or wicked (as imagined by astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
) is inconsistent with God's command through the prophets to "do this" or "not do this." For according to this mistaken conception, from the beginning of humanity's creation, their nature would draw them to a particular quality and they could not depart from it. Maimonides saw such a view as inconsistent with the entire Torah, with the justice of retribution for the wicked or reward for the righteous, and with the idea that the world's Judge acts justly.Maimonides. ''Mishneh Torah''''Hilchot Teshuvah (The Laws of Repentance)'', chapter 5, halachah 4
in, e.g., ''Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Teshuvah: The Laws of Repentance''. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, volume 4, pages 122–29. Maimonides taught that even so, nothing happens in the world without God's permission and desire, as says, "Whatever God wishes, He has done in the heavens and in the earth." Maimonides said that everything happens in accord with God's will, and, nevertheless, we are responsible for our deeds. Explaining how this apparent contradiction is resolved, Maimonides said that just as God desired that fire rises upward and water descends downward, so too, God desired that people have free choice and be responsible for their deeds, without being pulled or forced. Rather, people, on their own initiative, with the knowledge that God granted them, do anything that people are able to do. Therefore, people are judged according to their deeds. If they do good, they are treated with beneficence. If they do bad, they are treated harshly. This is implied by the prophets. Maimonides acknowledged that one might ask: Since God knows everything that will occur before it comes to pass, does God not know whether a person will be righteous or wicked? And if God knows that a person will be righteous, it would appear impossible for that person not to be righteous. However, if one would say that despite God's knowledge that the person would be righteous it is possible for the person to be wicked, then God's knowledge would be incomplete. Maimonides taught that just as it is beyond human potential to comprehend God's essential nature, as says, "No man will perceive Me and live," so, too, it is beyond human potential to comprehend God's knowledge. This was what Isaiah intended when says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways, My ways." Accordingly, we do not have the potential to conceive how God knows all the creations and their deeds. But Maimonides said that it is without doubt that people's actions are in their own hands and God does not decree them. Consequently, the prophets taught that people are judged according to their deeds. Citing , Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that love for God is a leading example of a duty of the heart.
In modern interpretation
The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:Deuteronomy chapter 29
Professor Robert Alter of theUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, read the words of , "but with him who is here standing with us this day . . . and with him who is not here with us this day," to state an idea paramount for Deuteronomy's theological-historical project — that the covenant was to be a timeless model to be reenacted by all future generations.
Noting numerous connotations of the word "Torah" () in the Pentateuch, Professor Ephraim Speiser of the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
in the mid 20th century wrote that the word is based on a verbal stem signifying "to teach, guide," and the like. Speiser argued that in , the derived noun refers to specified sanctions in a covenant, and in , it refers to general instructions and provisions, and in context it cannot be mistaken for the title of the Pentateuch as a whole.
Deuteronomy chapter 30
The '' Mishnah Berurah'' noted that the first Hebrew letters of the words of , , ''et-levavecha, v'et-levav'', " he Lord your God will circumciseyour heart, and the heart f your seed, to love the Lord your God with all your heart" spell out , ''Elul
Elul ( he, אֱלוּל, Standard ''ʾElūl'', Tiberian ''ʾĔlūl'') is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of 29 days. Elul usually occurs in August ...
'', the name of the month that includes Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur. The ''Mishnah Berurah'' cited this as Scriptural support for the practice of rising early to say prayers for forgiveness (, ''Selichot
Selichot ( he, סְלִיחוֹת, səlīḥōt, singular: , ''səlīḥā'') are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy ar ...
'') from the first day of the month of Elul until Yom Kippur.
Alter saw in , "life and good and death and evil" an echo of "the tree of knowledge good and evil" in . Alter taught that the point is that good, which may lead to prosperity, is associated with life, just as evil, which may lead to adversity, is associated with death. Alter wrote that the Deuteronomic assumptions about historical causation may seem problematic or even untenable, but the powerful notion of the urgency of moral choice continues to resonate.
Professor James Kugel
James L. Kugel (Hebrew: Yaakov Kaduri, יעקב כדורי; born August 22, 1945) is Professor Emeritus in the Bible Department at Bar Ilan University in Israel and the Harry M. Starr Professor Emeritus of Classical and Modern Hebrew Literature at ...
of Bar Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
wrote that the words of resounded in the ears of generations of Jews and Christians. Kugel taught that in a sense, all Jewish and Christian devotion — religious services, prayers, the study of Scripture, and dozens of other acts intended to carry out God's will — find at least part of their origin and inspiration in these words.
Commandments
According to Maimonides and theSefer ha-Chinuch
''Sefer ha-Chinuch'' ( he, ספר החינוך, "Book of Education") is a Jewish rabbinic text which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was published anonymously in 13th-century Spain. History
The work's enumeration of ...
, there are no commandments in the parashah. Nachmanides, reading , suggests that contains a commandment of repentance (, ''teshuvah'').
In the liturgy
The standardConservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
prayerbook quotes and as readings to accompany the second blessing before the ''Shema
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...
''.
Haftarah
The haftarah
The ''haftara'' or (in Ashkenazic pronunciation) ''haftorah'' (alt. ''haftarah, haphtara'', he, הפטרה) "parting," "taking leave", (plural form: ''haftarot'' or ''haftoros'') is a series of selections from the books of ''Nevi'im'' ("Pro ...
for the parashah is . The haftarah is the seventh and concluding installment in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av ( he, תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב ''Tīšʿā Bəʾāv''; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian E ...
, leading up to Rosh Hashanah.
Summary
The prophet rejoiced in God, who had clothed him with salvation, covered him with victory, as a bridegroom dons a priestly diadem, as a bride adorns herself with jewels. For as the earth brings forth vegetation, so God will cause victory and glory to sprout before the nations.
For Zion
Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Nam ...
's sake, the prophet would not hold his peace, until Jerusalem's triumph would burn brightly for the nations to see, and Zion would be called by a new name given by God. Zion would be a crown of beauty in God's hand, and no more would she be called Forsaken or Desolate, but she would be called Delight and Espoused, for God would rejoice over her as a bridegroom over his bride.
The prophet set lookouts on Jerusalem's walls, until God would make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. God has sworn no more to give Israel's corn to her enemies, nor her wine to strangers, but those who harvested shall eat, and those who gathered shall drink, in the courts of God's sanctuary.
The prophet said clear the way, for God proclaimed to Zion that her salvation was coming. And they shall call the Israelites the holy people, and Jerusalem shall be called Sought out, not Forsaken.
The prophet asked Who came in crimson garments from Edom
Edom (; Edomite: ; he, אֱדוֹם , lit.: "red"; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom in Transjordan, located between Moab to the northeast, the Arabah to the west, and the Arabian Desert to the south and east.N ...
, mighty to save, and why God's apparel was red like one who trod in the wine vat. God said that God had trodden the winepress in anger alone, and trampled in fury, for the day of vengeance was in God's heart, and God's year of redemption had come. God looked and found none to help to uphold God's will, so God trod down the peoples in anger, and poured out their blood.
The prophet spoke of God's mercies and praises, of God's great goodness toward Israel, which God bestowed with compassion.. For God said, "Surely, they are My people," and so God was their Savior. In all their affliction God was afflicted, and God's angel saved them; in love and pity God redeemed them, and God bore them and carried them all the days of old.
Connection to the Special Sabbath
Concluding the series of consolation after Tisha B'Av, and leading up to the Days of Awe, the haftarah features God's salvation, redemption, mercies, (2 times). and compassion.Notes and references
Further reading
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:Biblical
*27
(hewers of wood and drawers of water). * (God punishing the wicked); (fool who "in his heart" imagines escaping God); (God as life-giver); (God rooting out evil); (God as life-giver); (God's anger); (God's jealousy as fire); (God will return); (God restores); (God gathers exiles).
Classical rabbinic
*Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...
Sanhedrin 10:3
Land of Israel, circa 200 CE. In, e.g., ''The Mishnah: A New Translation''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, page 605. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. . *
Tosefta
The Tosefta ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah.
Overview
In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...
Sotah 7:3–5
Land of Israel, circa 250 CE. In, e.g., ''The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, volume 1, pages 861–62; volume 2, page 1285. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002. . *
Sifre
Sifre ( he, סִפְרֵי; ''siphrēy'', ''Sifre, Sifrei'', also, ''Sifre debe Rab'' or ''Sifre Rabbah'') refers to either of two works of '' Midrash halakha'', or classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Number ...
to Deuteronomy 304:1–305:3. Land of Israel, circa 250–350 CE. In, e.g., ''Sifre to Deuteronomy: An Analytical Translation''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, volume 2, pages 289–294. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987. .
*Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
: Peah 5b; Kilayim 81a; Sheviit 42b; Beitzah 25a; Taanit 29a; Moed Katan 12a; Ketubot 71a; Nedarim 8b; Sotah 13a, 31b, 51a; Kiddushin 19b, 23a; Avodah Zarah 19b; Horayot 18a. Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
, Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. In, e.g., ''Talmud Yerushalmi''. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 3, 5, 6b, 23, 25, 28, 32–33, 36–37, 40, 48–49. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006–2020. And in, e.g., ''The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary''. Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, B. Barry Levy, and Edward Goldman. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. .
*Genesis Rabbah
Genesis Rabbah (Hebrew: , ''B'reshith Rabba'') is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical inter ...
br>53:10Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Genesis''. Translated by
Harry Freedman
Harry Freedman (''Henryk Frydmann''), (April 5, 1922 – September 16, 2005) was a Canadians, Canadian composer, English hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphony, symphonic works, including the scores ...
and Maurice Simon, volume 1, page 469. London: Soncino Press, 1939. .
*Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
Berakhot 40a
Sasanian Empire, 6th century. In, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
Early nonrabbinic
*Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
54:17. Arabia, 7th century.
Medieval
* Deuteronomy Rabbahbr>4:3Land of Israel, 9th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy''. Translated by
Harry Freedman
Harry Freedman (''Henryk Frydmann''), (April 5, 1922 – September 16, 2005) was a Canadians, Canadian composer, English hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphony, symphonic works, including the scores ...
and Maurice Simon, pages 91, 147–55. London: Soncino Press, 1939. .
*Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...
. ''Commentary''Deuteronomy 29–30
Troyes, France, late 11th century. In, e.g., Rashi. ''The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated''. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 5, pages 303–18. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. . *
Rashbam
Samuel ben Meir (Troyes, c. 1085 – c. 1158), after his death known as "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi".
Biography
He was born in the vicinity of Tro ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Troyes, early 12th century. In, e.g., ''Rashbam's Commentary on Deuteronomy: An Annotated Translation''. Edited and translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 165–67. Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
: Brown Judaic Studies, 2004. .
*Judah Halevi
Judah Halevi (also Yehuda Halevi or ha-Levi; he, יהודה הלוי and Judah ben Shmuel Halevi ; ar, يهوذا اللاوي ''Yahuḏa al-Lāwī''; 1075 – 1141) was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, ...
. ''Kuzari
The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' ( ar, كتاب الحجة والدليل في نصرة الدين الذليل: ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also k ...
''. 2:34. Toledo, Spain, 1130–1140. In, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. ''Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel.'' Introduction by Henry Slonimsky, page 108. New York: Schocken, 1964. .
* Abraham ibn Ezra. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Mid-12th century. In, e.g., ''Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Deuteronomy (Devarim)''. Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 5, pages 212–23. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 2001. .
*Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
. ''Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...
''''Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah (The Laws that Are the Foundations of the Torah)'', chapter 7, halachah 7
Egypt, circa 1170–1180. In, e.g., ''Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah: The Laws hich Arethe Foundations of the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, volume 1, pages 258–62, 270–74. New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1989. .
*Hezekiah ben Manoah Hezekiah ben Manoah, or Hezekiah bar Manoah, was a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th century. He is generally known by the title of his commentary, Chizkuni ( he, חזקוני).
In memory of his father, who lost his right hand through ...
. ''Hizkuni''. France, circa 1240. In, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. ''Chizkuni: Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1192–97. Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013. .
* Nachmanides. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Jerusalem, circa 1270. In, e.g., ''Ramban (Nachmanides): Commentary on the Torah: Deuteronomy.'' Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 5, pages 331–43. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1976. .
* Zohar volume 1, pages 1b, 23a, 91a, 92a, 108a, 120b, 157a, 168a, 173a, 222b; volume 2, pages 3a, 9a, 17a, 62a, 82a, 83b, 86b, 174b, 188b; volume 3, pages 86a, 159a, 270a. Spain, late 13th century. In, e.g., ''The Zohar''. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
*Bahya ben Asher
Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa (, 1255–1340) was a rabbi and scholar of Judaism, best known as a commentator on the Hebrew Bible.
He is one of two scholars now referred to as Rabbeinu Behaye, the other being philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda.
Biogra ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Spain, early 14th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbeinu Bachya: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 7, pages 2717–54. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2003. .
* Isaac ben Moses Arama. ''Akedat Yizhak (The Binding of Isaac)''. Late 15th century. In, e.g., Yitzchak Arama. ''Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah''. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 893–912. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001. .
Modern
*Isaac Abravanel
Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel ( he, יצחק בן יהודה אברבנאל; 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel (), also spelled Abravanel, Avravanel, or Abrabanel, was a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher, Bible commentator ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Italy, between 1492–1509. In, e.g., ''Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 5: Devarim/Deuteronomy''. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 152–77. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015. .
*Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno
Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Obadja Sforno, Hebrew: עובדיה ספורנו) was an Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician. A member of the Sforno family, he was born in Cesena about 1475 and died in Bologna in 1550.
Bio ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Venice, 1567. In, e.g., ''Sforno: Commentary on the Torah''. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 974–83. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. .
*Moshe Alshich
Moshe Alshich he, משה אלשיך, also spelled Alshech, (1508–1593), known as the ''Alshich Hakadosh (the Holy)'', was a prominent rabbi, preacher, and biblical commentator in the latter part of the sixteenth century.
The Alshich was born ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Safed, circa 1593. In, e.g., Moshe Alshich. ''Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 1112–21. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000. .
*Saul Levi Morteira. "Guarded Him as the Pupil of His Eye." Amsterdam, 1645. In Marc Saperstein. ''Exile in Amsterdam: Saul Levi Morteira's Sermons to a Congregation of "New Jews,"'' pages 447–88. Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College Press, 2005. .
*Thomas Hobbes. ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', s:Leviathan/The Third Part#Chapter XXXVI: Of the Word of God.2C and of Prophets, 3:36. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, page 456. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. .
*Chaim ibn Attar. ''Ohr ha-Chaim''. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. ''Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 5, pages 1968–81. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999. .
*''Marbury v. Madison'', 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803).
*Samson Raphael Hirsch. ''Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances''. Translated by Isidore Grunfeld, pages 20, 369–74, 385–91. London: Soncino Press, 1962. Reprinted 2002 . Originally published as ''Horeb, Versuche über Jissroel's Pflichten in der Zerstreuung''. Germany, 1837.
*Samuel David Luzzatto (Shadal). ''Commentary on the Torah.'' Padua, 1871. In, e.g., Samuel David Luzzatto. ''Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1262–66. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012. .
*Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. ''Sefat Emet''. Góra Kalwaria (Ger), Poland, before 1906. Excerpted in ''The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet''. Translated and interpreted by Arthur Green, pages 329–32. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. . Reprinted 2012. .
*Hermann Cohen. ''Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism''. Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan; introductory essays by Leo Strauss, pages 81, 408. New York: Ungar, 1972. Reprinted Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. . Originally published as ''Religion der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums''. Leipzig: Gustav Fock, 1919.
*Abraham Isaac Kook. ''The Lights of Penitence'', 17:2. 1925. In ''Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems''. Translated by Ben Zion Bokser, page 127. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1978. .
*Alexander Alan Steinbach. ''Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch'', pages 161–64. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936.
*Joseph Reider. ''The Holy Scriptures: Deuteronomy with Commentary'', pages 274–86. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1937.
*Martin Buber. ''On the Bible: Eighteen studies'', pages 80–92. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
*F. Charles Fensham. "Salt as Curse in the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East." ''Near Eastern Archaeology Magazine, Biblical Archaeologist'', volume 25 (number 2) (May 1962): pages 48–50.
*Nechama Leibowitz, Nehama Leibowitz. ''Studies in Devarim: Deuteronomy'', pages 298–326. Jerusalem: The World Zionist Organization, 1980.
*Carl Sagan. "Who Speaks for Earth?" ''Cosmos: A Personal Voyage'', episode 13. Cosmos Studios, 1980. (quoting and expounding on in the context humanity's choice to avoid self-destruction).
*Pinchas Hacohen Peli, Pinchas H. Peli. ''Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture'', pages 229–31. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987. .
*Patrick D. Miller. ''Deuteronomy'', pages 199–216. Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, John Knox Press, 1990.
*Lawrence Schiffman, Lawrence H. Schiffman. "The New Halakhic Letter (4QMMT) and the Origins of the Dead Sea Sect." ''Biblical Archaeologist'', volume 53 (number 2) (June 1990): pages 64–73.
*Mark S. Smith. ''The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel'', pages 85, 149. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990. . (; ).
*Bernhard Anderson, Bernhard W. Anderson. "'Subdue the Earth': What Does It Mean? Humans received a God-given freedom to choose between a lifestyle that fosters life on this planet or that leads to death for the earth and its inhabitants. In the words of Deuteronomy 30:19: 'Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.'" ''Bible Review'', volume 8 (number 5) (October 1992).
*''A Song of Power and the Power of Song: Essays on the Book of Deuteronomy''. Edited by Duane L. Christensen. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1993. .
*Judith S. Antonelli. "Canaanites and the Covenant." In ''In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah'', pages 482–88. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995. .
*Ellen Frankel. ''The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah'', pages 292–94. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. .
*Gunther Plaut, W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Haftarah Commentary'', pages 500–09. New York: UAHC Press, 1996. .
*Jeffrey H. Tigay. ''The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation'', pages 277–88. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. .
*Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden. ''Teaching Torah: A Treasury of Insights and Activities'', pages 335–39. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997. .
*Susan Freeman. ''Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities'', pages 8–25. Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, Springfield, New Jersey: A.R.E. Publishing, 1999. . ().
*Adin Steinsaltz. ''Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life'', page 84. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. .
*Miriam Carey Berkowitz. "Women and the Covenant." In ''The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions''. Edited by Elyse Goldstein, pages 377–83. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000. .
*Richard D. Nelson. "Deuteronomy." In ''The HarperCollins Bible Commentary''. Edited by James Luther Mays, James L. Mays, pages 210–11. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, revised edition, 2000. .
*Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss. ''Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, and Strategies'', pages 348–54. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 2002. .
*Michael Fishbane. ''The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot'', pages 310–17. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002. .
*Alan Lew. ''This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation'', pages 65, 82–85, 152–54, 164. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2003. .
*Joseph Telushkin. ''The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life'', page 13. New York: Bell Tower, 2003. .
* Robert Alter. ''The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary'', pages 1022–30. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004. .
*Bernard M. Levinson. "Deuteronomy." In ''The Jewish Study Bible''. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, pages 433–37. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. .
*''Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading'' Edited by Leib Moscovitz, pages 345–48. Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2005. .
*Nathaniel Philbrick. ''Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War'', page 292. New York: Viking Penguin, 2006. .
*W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition''. Revised edition edited by David E. Stern, David E.S. Stern, pages 1372–85. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, 2006. .
*Suzanne A. Brody. "The Covenant." In ''Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems'', page 109. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007. .
*James Kugel, James L. Kugel. ''How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now'', pages 347, 350–52, 354. New York: Free Press, 2007. .
*''The Torah: A Women's Commentary''. Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea Weiss (rabbi), Andrea L. Weiss, pages 1217–34. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, URJ Press, 2008. .
*Eugene E. Carpenter. "Deuteronomy." In ''Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary''. Edited by John H. Walton, volume 1, pages 512–13. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009. .
*Sue Levi Elwell. "Embodied Jews: Parashat Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)." In ''Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible''. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 263–66. New York: New York University Press, 2009. .
*Bruce Feiler. ''America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story''. New York: William Morrow and Company, William Morrow, 2009. . (on "choose life").
*Reuven Hammer. ''Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion'', pages 293–98. New York: Gefen Publishing House, 2009. .
*David Frankel"Deuteronomy 29:21–28 in Historical and Textual Contexts."
''Hebrew Studies'', volume 52 (2011): pages 137–70. *Shmuel Herzfeld. "Returning Together." In ''Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons'', pages 290–93. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012. .
*Janice Weizman. "Beyond Belief: The notion of literature as a witness that cannot be denied testifies to the fact that generations of Jews have believed what is found there." ''The Jerusalem Report'', volume 24 (number 11) (September 9, 2013): page 43.
*Shlomo Riskin. ''Torah Lights: Devarim: Moses Bequeaths Legacy, History, and Covenant'', pages 315–46. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2014. .
*''The Commentators' Bible: The Rubin JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Deuteronomy.'' Edited, translated, and annotated by Michael Carasik, pages 196–206. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2015. .
*Jonathan Sacks. ''Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 281–86. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015. .
*Jonathan Sacks. ''Essays on Ethics: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 317–21. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016. .
*Kenneth Seeskin. ''Thinking about the Torah: A Philosopher Reads the Bible'', pages 171–76. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2016. .
*Shai Held. ''The Heart of Torah, Volume 2: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy'', pages 270–79. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. .
*Steven Levy and Sarah Levy. ''The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary'', pages 174–76. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. .
*Ernst Wendland. Deuteronomy: translationNotes.
' Orlando, Florida: unfoldingWord, 2017. *Jonathan Sacks. ''Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant'', pages 253–87. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2019.
External links
Texts
Commentaries
Academy for Jewish Religion, New York
*https://www.thetorah.com/parashah/nitzavim/ TheTorah.com]
Torah from Dixie
{{Weekly Torah Portions Weekly Torah readings in Elul Weekly Torah readings from Deuteronomy